Making healthy smoothies for kids should come as a no brainer. We all know how kids love to experiment. What can be more fun than mixing a bunch of fruit and veggies together, and then watching them disintegrate in front of your eyes as they blend together?
And then starting all over again and producing new colors and textures the next time around. It’s like being in the lab all the time, coming up with new creations day after day – only now, you’re in charge!
Kids are naturally curious and get bored easily. So why not get them involved in food shopping? Let them select some fruit and vegetables when you go grocery shopping. They can start imagining the color and taste combinations they can come up with.
It may take a while to know if you’ve helped mold a new chef, but those healthy habits you are creating can be the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. What better gift can you give a child?
While developing creativity and originality, you are also teaching your child responsibility, independence and self-confidence.
Healthy Smoothies for Kids versus Milk Shakes
Smoothies are gaining in popularity as a quick and easy replacement for a healthy meal or a conveniently helpful means of losing weight. While that can be true, in the end the ingredients you incorporate determine whether you have concocted a healthy drink or something that should only be an occasional treat.
Milkshakes consist mostly of pasteurized milk (devoid of natural nourishment) complemented by syrups or sugar packed fruit. On the other hand, even fruit smoothies for kids can incorporate veggies. Add ice, avocado, kale, or some frozen banana in order to help achieve a creamy texture.
Fruit Smoothies for Kids
It’s often a challenge getting kids to eat their vegetables; smoothies are a great way to hide those veggies while getting them used to the taste. Fruit smoothies for kids that hate vegetables are a good place to start. No picky eater will be able to resist their favorite fruit blended with some vanilla yogurt.
Here are a few ideas for easy smoothie recipes for kids. Start with smoothies that taste just like milk shakes. Add frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, banana) to your blender together with a little milk or yogurt. Use vanilla flavored yogurt if you have to, then gradually switch to greek style yogurt.
A word to the wise: some frozen banana blended with a little milk and a touch of vanille tastes like vanilla ice cream… 😉 Add a little frozen fruit like pineapple or peaches, and you have a special treat!
Creating healthy smoothie recipes for kids is not hard to do. How about starting with a base of avocado for a creamy texture, and adding cocoa powder, some banana, ice and a little milk for a chocolate milk shake/smoothie. Rice milk or almond milk would make great substitutes. You can even add a little peanut butter or other nut butter to add body and texture.
Once they are big fans of smoothies, start introducing greens in their drinks, a little at a time. A little apple juice will add some sweetness at the beginning and can eventually be replaced with ice as long as you use an ice crusher blender. Which reminds me: Vitamix has some easy smoothie recipes for kids here.
Remember to keep those blended drinks thin at the start and increase the texture slowly. Just get the kids involved and have fun!
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